Cheryl Shippey Memorial Golf Tournament
Event Details
May 12, 2026
Start Times
Player Registration – 8:00 a.m.
Shotgun Start – 10:00 a.m.
19th Hole Reception – 4:00 p.m.
The Cheryl Shippey Memorial golf tournament, previously called the Laurel Classic, is named in memory of Cheryl Shippey, a beloved Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) Foundation team member, who unexpectedly passed in March 2023. She was well-known in the Braselton community for her work on Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Braselton’s Inaugural Campaign and was instrumental in the creation of the Laurel Classic. We are proud to honor her legacy with the renaming of this special golf tournament.
NGMC Braselton’s Emergency Department was built in 2015 to serve 25,000 visits a year. Unfortunately, volumes have far exceeded capacity over the years, with more than 58,000 visits in 2024. In November 2022, NGHS announced the expansion of the Braselton campus with plans to increase capacity in the emergency department. Proceeds from the Cheryl Shippey Memorial will go to benefit the expansion of this vital resource in the region.
Become a sponsor
We invite you to join in supporting the expansion of the NGMC Braselton Emergency Department through a sponsorship. Learn about our sponsorship opportunities here.
- Co-Chairs – Jim Edwards
- Co-Chair – Audra Edwards
- Carey Baeumel
- Amy Bell
- Kathy Fauscett
- Tony Funari
- Bonnie Gibbons
- Bob Holton
- Michelle Howell
- Hardy Johnson
- David Lee
- Leigh Ann Paugh
- Tara Ravi
- Russell Smith
Support the Cheryl Shippey Memorial
Northeast Georgia Medical Center Braselton’s Emergency Department was built in 2015 to serve 25,000 visits a year. Unfortunately, volumes have far exceeded capacity over the years, with more than 52,000 visits in 2022. In November 2022, Northeast Georgia Health System announced the expansion of the Braselton campus with plans to increase capacity in the Emergency Department. Proceeds from the Cheryl Shippey Memorial will go to benefit the expansion of this vital resource in the region.
Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities.
Additional resources
Memorial golf tournament raises $300k to expand emergency care at NGMC Braselton
People living in and around Braselton will have expanded access to emergency care starting in 2026, thanks in part to funds raised through the Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) Foundation’s annual Cheryl Shippey Memorial golf tournament. The tournament held last month at Legends at Chateau Elan raised more than $300,000, with funds going to support the expansion of the emergency department at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Braselton.
The tournament is named in honor and memory of Cheryl Shippey, an NGHS Foundation employee who died unexpectedly in March 2023. She was well-known in the Braselton community for her work and was instrumental in the creation of the tournament.
“We are proud to honor Cheryl in this way,” said Chris Bray, NGHS Foundation president and chief philanthropy officer. “Her passion for the health of her community lives on through this tournament.”
NGMC Braselton opened in 2015 with an emergency department designed to handle 25,000 visits a year, but annual visits have more than doubled in less than a decade as the population around the hospital continues to boom. Construction is already underway to double the size of the emergency department, taking it from 23 treatment rooms to 46. The expansion is expected to be complete in 2026.
The tournament was presented in partnership with Jackson EMC and drew 120 golfers. The winning team for the fourth year in a row was from Mall of Georgia Ford.
“It’s amazing to see so many people come together for our community,” said Chauntelle Steines, chairwoman of the golf committee. “Knowing that our neighbors and friends will get even better emergency care because of this support is tremendous.”
